Photos taken in 2006

Simply put, this is one of the best new ballparks - largely because of the fantastic setting. Located in the northern part of Staten Island, the park offers a stunning view of the Upper Bay. Included in this view is the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline. In addition, there are ferries and large cargo ships that are constantly going by. While the setting really makes this place, the actual park isn't too shabby either. RCBB has a very low profile on the street, made possible by the fact that the park is sunk down below street level. Fans enter on to the concourse, which is covered from base to base. On the first base side, the concourse dips down past the bag and continues to run behind and below the right field seats. A large picnic area is situated in right field. Concessions here are not that well varied, but what they have are both inexpensive and tasty. A souvenir store is located off the concourse behind home plate. Seating at RCBB is about as close as you'll find at any new ballpark. And the fact that there is no center concourse splitting up the seating, means that all seats offer a great view of the action. Also, the steep grade of the seats provides for excellent sightlines. The exterior of the park is made of brick, but is a lighter red in color. Parking is available at the ferry terminal, and is a reasonable $5. The atmosphere is about as relaxed as you can get for a minor league park. No sound effects are played and the music that is played is not done so over and over (no walk-up songs for each batter). Also, the musical mix is quite eclectic, something I always appreciate. The team does a few between inning games, but they are not the normal ones seen at 80% of the parks. It actually seems like the team is making an effort to make the atmosphere here unique – wow, what a concept ! Brooklyn's park may be getting all the national exposure and all the sellouts, but Staten Island has clearly outdone them. The setting and physical structure of this park combined with the laid back atmosphere make it nearly perfect in my book. An absolute must see !